Historic black-and-white photos reveal how women’s football has changed over the last century

Clubs for women were established as long ago as the 1890s and ladies who enjoyed the sport pulled in crowds of thousands from the early 1900s

By Ellie Cambridge

4th August 2017,7:40 pm

Updated: 4th August 2017,8:09 pm

WOMEN’S football in Britain has seen a remarkable journey over the last century – chronicled in amazing new black-and-white photos – as their love of the sport saw them rise above claims it was “unsuitable”.

Clubs for women were established as long ago as the 1890s, and ladies who enjoyed the beautiful game pulled in crowds of thousands from the early 1900s.

A footballer from Dick Kerr’s Ladies (in stripes) kisses and shakes hands with a footballer from France ahead of a match held in Preston, England, 1920

Support for women’s teams was high among fans but in 1921 the FA banned all women’s playing on affiliated grounds.

It was declared “quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged”.

This decision came despite 53,000 people flocking to watch The Dick Kerr ladies match in Liverpool on Boxing Day 1920, and 25,000 attending the first women’s international game against France earlier in the same year.

Players and fans were outraged and Dick Kerr Ladies Captain Alice Kell vowed: “We play for the love and we are determined to carry on”.

In 1971, the FA finally lifted the ban on women’s football and England’s Women are once again wowing crowds as they have seen success in championships and global battles – often eclipsing the men’s efforts.

A series of black-and-white photographs reveals how women’s football has changed as the fought to play the game they loved.